KEN Ferrie will be the star attraction when he tees up in the The Rock, the country's most lucrative regional tournament carrying a £30,000 prize fund, which swings into action next week (Aug 25-27) at Northumberland club Matfen Hall.

But he faces tough competition from arguably the strongest field assembled for the event since its launch eight years ago. It includes 2002 French Open winner Malcolm Mackenzie who, spent 22 years on the European Tour along with Paul Eales.

These days Lancastrian Eales, sponsored by Northern Rock, mixes playing, coaching and working for BBC Sport as an on-course commentator. And Sheffield-based MacKenzie recently quit the main circuit to form a swing analysis business with his brother Iain, the former Yorkshire county captain.

Ashington-born Ferrie (pictured with The Rock trophy he won in 2005) went on to win the 2005 Smurfit European Open the same year he beat his coach and host club head professional John Harrison in a play off for the Rock.

Ferrie, attached to Matfen Hall, is playing on the United States PGA Tour this season but has returned home for a month to recharge his batteries - and make arrangements for his wedding early next year.

Graham Maly, the PGA North Region secretary, said: "Ken is a big draw and his presence is helping to raise the profile of the event even further. It's good to see Malcolm supporting us, too, in a tournament that continues to go from strength to strength."

Meanwhile, Ferrie will also play in The Rock Junior Pro-am which is part of the hugely successful Festival of Golf on Sunday, August 24. Other past winners in the 152-strong line-up are Westerhope's Michael Nesbit, who prevailed in 2001 and 2004, and Wakefield-based Aran Wainwright who succeeded two years ago.

Expected to be in the thick of the action are Morpeth assistant David Clark, who led the Automatic Retailing PGA North Region Championship at Burgham Park last month until the closing holes, and Swinton Park's David Smith who finished second to Chris Paisley at Matfen Hall last year.

But Paisey, 22, from nearby Stocksfield, who was the first amateur to win a PGA North Region Tournament last season, can't defend his title because he's back at Tennessee University catching up with his studies. He lost in the English Amateur Championship final at Woodhall Spa earlier this month and is only returning home to represent Great Britain and Ireland in the St Andrews Links Trophy which starts two days after The Rock.

His brother Andrew, an assistant at Matfen Hall, said: "His studies are important because he's in his last year at university. It looks as if he will have to miss next month's Home Internationals as well."

PAST WINNERS: 2001 Michael Nesbit (Matfen Hall); 2002 Neil Cheetham
(Barlborough Links); 2003 Mike Bradley (Keighley); 2004 Michael Nesbit
(Matfen Hall); 2005 Kenneth Ferrie (Matfen Hall Hotel); 2006 Aran Wainwright
(Wakefield); 2007 Chris Paisley (Stocksfield).

The Rock is the third of four North Region Order of Merit events with the leading three players qualifying for the Srixon PGA play-offs at Royal Liverpool on October 21-22 where they will compete for places in some of the European Tour's biggest tournaments.